Ventilated cap



June16,1942. A I C R 2,286,202

VENTILATED CAP Filed Sept. 30, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l J1me 1942- P. A. FISCHER VENTILATED CAP Filed Sept. so, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 16, 1942 UNETE 8 Ciaims.

This invention is a ventilated cap, particularly for use in the summertime, and especially for providing a cap which shall be of a neat, conservative appearance with perfect conformity to the head and yet is constructed to provide for adequate and thorough cooling of the forehead of the wearer.

The hot, uncomfortable feeling of the ordinary cap or hat in the summertime is due largely to the fact that the sweat band covers a substantial part of the forehead, and prevents cooling of the forehead. In the prior art, many types of ventilated caps have been proposed, but they usually have a sweat band of normal width which contacts the forehead and makes the cap hot and uncomfortable in hot weather.

The prior art has also proposed caps on wire frames and the like, for spacing the cap away from the forehead, but such wire frames are more or less rigid and uncomfortable and spoil;

the neat, conservative design of the cap. Some of these caps omit the sweat band altogether, which spoils the appearance of the cap and, moreover, makes it fit so loosely that the cap will not stay in position on the head, and will be blown off very readily. Some have a gauze or other perforated material between the sweat band and visor which prevents a maximumflow of air.

The cap of the present invention is provided with a visor, the central rear portion of which is provided with a cut out recess of substantial size. The cap has a sweat band along the sides and rear, of normal width, but the front central portion of the sweat band, which defines the rear edge of the recess in the visor, is made as narrow as is possible, for providing a minimum area of contact between the sweat band and the forehead, thereby exposing a maximum area of the forehead to the cooling effect of air admitted through the recess in the visor.

The recess in the visor is totally unobstructed and the sweat band extending across from one side of the visor to the other preserves the shape of the cap and the shape of the visor and yet, by virtue of its being made very narrow, exposes the maximum area of forehead to be cooled.

The narrowed, central portion of the sweat band may be made by cutting it away or by doubling it on itself and sewing such doubled portions together. Furthermore, the central narrowed portion may be bowed or arched upwardly, so that in use the narrowed portion of the sweat band will be positioned substantially at the frontal hair line of the wearer, thereby to expose the entire forehead for cooling by air admitted through the recess in the visor.

The main features of the invention having been thus outlined, the invention will be further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing the present preferred embodiments of the invention.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cap of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view from below of the cap of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a side view showing another form of the invention;

Figure 5 is a transverse section, looking toward the front, of the cap of Fig. 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, longitudinal cross section of a modification;

Figure 7 is a section on the line 'l-l of Fig, 6;

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are transverse sections, looking toward the front, showing three'modifications.

Referring now to these drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, the cap comprises a body portion 2, to which is secured the visor 4 along diagonally converging lines 6 and 8, at the outer rear part of the visor. The central rear part of the visor is provided with a large recess or cut out Ill, which recess is entirely unobstructed.

The cap is provided with a sweat band M; that portion it of the sweat band defining the rear part of the visor recess It, which is that portion of the sweat band which contacts the forehead of the wearer, is made very narrow. This narrowing of the sweat band may be accomplished, for example, by cutting and finishing with a rolled edge, or, as shown in Figure 3, by doubling the band on itself, and securing the doubled-over portions, as by stitches 18. The mechanical advantage of the sweat band, in preserving the shape of the cap and in holding the cap in place on the wearers head, is maintained, while at the same time, the maximum area of forehead is exposed to the cool air admitted through the visor recess in. While the doubled portion of the sweat band is narrow, it is as strong and durable as the body of the sweat band.

In the cap shown in Figures 4 and 5, the front central portion IQ of the sweat band 20 is made not only very narrow but at the same time is upwardly bowed or arched so that, as indicated in Figure 4, this part I9 is substantially at the frontal hair line of the wearer, thereby exposing the entire forehead to cooling air admitted hold the front portion of the cap well away from the recess H1, so that the overlaying front does not sag down and cover it up, there may be provided, as shown in Figures 6 and '7, a curved, resilient, longitudinally extending stiffening rib 22 of Celluloid, Bakelite, regenerated cellulose, synthetic resin or the like, which rib, by virtue of its stiffness and resiliency, holds up the front portion of the cap, improving the general appearance of the cap and, what is more important, provides for a better and free fiow of air through the passage It. The rib 22 is preferably enclosed between the outer part 24 and inner lining strip 26 of the cap. Such a rib may be used with all modifications of the present invention.

In the modification of Fig. 8, the sweat band 28 is provided with a centrally narrowed, forehead contacting portion 30, which may be made by cutting away and rolling the edge, if desired, or by folding over and stitching, as in Figure 3.

In the modification of Figure 9, the sweat band 32 is provided with a centrally narrowed forehead contacting portion 34, made by cutting away and rolling the edge, by folding over and stitching, etc. In this form the narrow portion 34 is at about the level of the lower edge of the sweat band.

In the modification of Figure 10, the sweat band 36 is made extremely narrow, about onehalf or even one-fourth as wide as the usual sweat band. By virtue of this extreme narrowing, such a sweat band covers only about onehalf or one-fourth as much of the wearers forehead as with the usual sweat band, and so a much greater cooling effect is obtained.

While I have illustrated my invention in some detail, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise details shown, but may be carried out in other ways, as falling within the scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ventilated cap comprising a visor, the central, rear portion of which is recessed to provide an opening of substantial size, a sweat band extending around the wearers head and across said recess and defining the rear edge thereof, that portion of the sweat band bordering said recess being made substantially narrower than the body portion of the band and upwardly arched, so as in use to be positioned substantially at the frontal hair line of the wearer, to ex pose the entire forehead to the cooling effect of air admitted through the recess in the visor.

2. A ventilated cap comprising a visor, the central, rear portion of which is recessed to provide a ventilating opening of substantial size, a yieldably conforming sweat band extending across said recess and defining the rear edge thereof, that portion of the sweat band bordering said recess being in the form of a narrow strip substantially narrower than the main portion of the sweat band, said narrowed portion of the sweat band being that portion thereof which contacts the forehead of the wearer, said narrowed portion being arched upwardly substantially above the normal upper edge of the sweat band, so as to extend substantially to the frontal hair line of the wearer, for exposing a maximum area of the wearers forehead to cooling air entering said recess and at the same time maintaining the proper shape of the visor.

3. A ventilated cap comprising a body portion, a visor, the central, rear portion of which is recessed to provide a ventilating opening of substantial size, the front of the body portion of the cap overlaying the recess in the visor, and stiffening means extending forwardly and over said recess for holding said overlaying body portion away form said recess.

4. A ventilated cap comprising a body portion, a visor, the central, rear portion of which is recessed to provide a ventilating opening of substantial size, the front of the body portion overlaying the recess in the visor, and a curved, flattened resilient longitudinally extending stiffening strip carried by said overlaying portion and extending forwardly and over said recess for spacing said overlaying portion away from said ventilating opening.

5. A ventilated cap comprising a body portion, a visor, the central, rear portion of which is recessed to provide a ventilating opening of substantial size, the front of the body portion overlaying the recess in the visor, a sweat band extending across said recess and defining the rear edge thereof, that portion of the sweat band bordering said recess being made substantially narrower than the main portion of the sweat band, and stiffening means for holding said overlaying portion spaced away from the recess in the visor, said stiffening means cooperating with the narrowed sweat band to admit a maximum amount of cooling air to a maximum area of the wearers entire head.

6. A ventilated cap comprising a body portion, a visor, the central, rear portion of which is recessed to provide a ventilating opening of substantial size, the front of the body portion overlaying the recess in the visor, a sweat band extending across said recess and defining the rear edge thereof, that portion of the sweat band bordering said recess being made substantially narrower than the main portion of the sweat band, and a resilient, flattened longitudinally extending stiffening strip carried by the overlaying portion for holding said overlaying portion spaced away from the recess in the visor, said stiffening strip cooperating with the narrowed sweat band to admit a maximum amount,

of cooling air to a maximum area of the wearers head, as exposed by the narrowed portion of the sweat band.

7. A ventilated cap comprising a visor, the central, rear portion of which is recessed to provide a ventilating opening of substantial size, a sweat band, made very narrow, extending across said recess and defining the rear edge thereof, for providing a minimum area of contact between the sweat band and the forehead, and to expose a maximum area of forehead to be cooled by air admitted through the recess in the visor, said cap having a portion overlaying the recess in the visor, and stiffening means for holding said overlaying portion spaced away from the opening in the visor, to admit a maximum amount of cooling air.

8. A yieldably conforming sweat band for a hat or cap whose section adjacent the wearers forehead is very narrow, said forehead section also arching upwardly substantially above the normal upper edge of the sweat band and along the normal frontal hair line of the wearer.

PHILIP A. FISCHER. 

